History of Kardinia Park

Kardinia Park is located just one kilometre south of the centre of Geelong. At over 170,000 people, Geelong is the 2nd largest city in the state of Victoria and the 12th largest city in Australia.      Click to open a Google^©-Map image in a separate window.

The east side of Kardinia Park is on Moorabool Street, Geelong's central thoroughfare. Its west side is bounded by Latrobe Terrace from which drivers on the M1 from the state capital, Melbourne (pop. 4 million), 75 km to the northeast, access the Park.

Media reference to the home ground of the Geelong Football Club (the Geelong Cats) can be confusing as some will refer to Skilled Stadium (the naming rights sponsor is Skilled Engineering) and others to Kardinia Park. The last lines of the Cats' victory song are 'From dawn to dark / Down at Kardinia Park'. So rest assured the Park has not changed its name and simply contains several sporting arenas including the main Skilled Stadium (currently being upgraded to hold 30,000 spectators).

2009 was the Geelong Football Club's 150th Year (winning the AFL Premiership to crown it) since its inception in 1869 and the name 'Kardinia (aboriginal: sunrise) Park' goes almost as far back - to 1872 when its 24 hectares extended north to Kilgour Street. In 1876 the new railway line chopped off the north east corner and the passing train whistle is often heard by the crowd at an event in Kardinia Park, which is only a block from the South Geelong railway station to its east.

The Park even hosted a Zoo for a few years after 1903 containing ducks, swans, peacocks and kangaroos, deer and monkeys.

The Geelong Football Club has played there since 1941 and the oval to the west of the Stadium (Kardinia Park West or St. Mary's oval) is for local Geelong Football League matches and is the home of the St. Mary's Football Club which has clubrooms off the oval.

The circular oval to the north is used by the Geelong Cricket Club and is also used by the Geelong Football Umpires League for training. A pavilion is attached to Skilled Stadium.

On the south of the Park are two 50m swimming pools and associated smaller pools. It is the home of the Geelong Swimming Club. The first pool was opened in the 1960's and the second added in 2005.

Fourteen netball courts are located between the two smaller ovals - used by the Geelong Netball Association and the Geelong Unity Netball Association. There are clubrooms alongside the courts.

The Links page gives links to the websites of the organisations mentioned above.

The western entrance (Bob Davis Gate) to Skilled Stadium is a paved and sculptured area honouring prominent people from several sports, in the Geelong area.

Kardinia Park has both an historic place and an assured future (endless sunrises) in Geelong and is continually being upgraded, aided by funds from the Geelong Cats Sports Foundation.